“One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas day. Don’t clean it up too quickly.”  ~Andy Rooney

Time Saving Tips for Christmas Day

Make a breakfast casserole the night before and just pop it in the oven on Christmas morning

Set the table the night before

Use disposable baking pans and trays for meal prep

Put out a veggie and/or fruit tray for snacking throughout the day

Charge the camera batteries and set up the tripod the night before

Have a large garbage bag staged beside the tree the night before to hold discarded wrappings

Use a gift bag to hold all the bows and ribbons you plan to recycle as things are unwrapped

Have an empty clothes basket for each child to put their gifts into after they get unwrapped

Andy Rooney will be missed this Christmas, but he is right – Don’t clean up too quickly, savor your holiday with your loved ones and soak up the memories.

Today, I’ve decided to do something a little different.  I’ve invited a guest blogger to post on my site.  I think the blog is perfect for this time of year.  Let me know what you think.  I would love to hear your thoughts.  Happy Holidays and happy shopping!  Warmly, Natalie

Do you wait until the last minute to do your Christmas shopping?  Well, with only a few days to go, you need to get moving!

Although this is a fun time of year, it can be stressful especially in today’s economic climate.   A lot of us can feel the shortage of cash these days and most of us need to be aware of what we are spending.  Do you have a Christmas budget?  If not, here are a few tips that can help you control your spending during this festive time of year:

• Leave your debit and credit cards home.  This gives you an instant visual indication of how much you’re spending.
• Shop at outlet malls. Shopping at outlets of your favorite stores and designers can save a bundle.
• Have a game plan.  Set a budget, even a good deal isn’t a deal if you can’t afford it.
• Hang onto your receipts.  Many stores give price adjustments within 14 days.
• Shop with a list.  You can zip through the stores faster and are more apt to avoid impulse buying.

I hope I have given you some good tips and even if you don’t use all of them, just a few will be better than not using any tip at all.

1. Be Safe –Regardless of how you travel, make sure someone else has your itinerary and telephone numbers so they can reach you in an event of an emergency.

By car- make sure your car is road worthy.  Simple things like checking the fluids, tire pressure, and wiper blades can prevent bothersome road side stops. Fill up the tank before you go and refill it when the tank reads less than half full.

By plane/train/bus – keep your valuables on your person rather than in a carry-on or purse.  Always have a change of clothing and a toothbrush in your carry-on for unexpected layovers and delays.

2. Pack Light 

• Dress in layers and pack clothing that will mix and match.  Use packing cubes inside your luggage to keep things neat and accessible.  Only bring one extra pair of shoes.  Be sure to leave room in your luggage to bring things home with you.  

3. Ship Ahead

If you have gifts and things for people you will visit while traveling, ship them out the week before you arrive. It’s less hassle for you at the airport and less to carry. The Post Office’s flat rate boxes are a very economical way to go.

A while ago, I did a post called Stop Buying Useless Gifts.  The essence of the post was that we need to be more conscientious of the kinds of gifts we are buying.  Let’s not add to one another’s clutter. Now that we are in the largest gift giving season in America, it’s important to consider the gifts we are buying.  This post is a result of a recent almost-useless-gift-exchange.

Recently I was hosting a ladies luncheon and the attendees suggested we do an ornament gift exchange since it was Christmas this month.  In my head, I immediately thought “Oh, great more clutter!” (I also wanted to roll my eyes but fought the urge.)

Rather than an ornament gift exchange, I thought about another gift idea.  I suggested that we each purchase a toy and bring it wrapped to the luncheon.  The ladies agreed and after the luncheon, we gathered around the table with all the wrapped toys. We proceeded to play the infamous “stealing game”; each person takes a turn, chooses a gift to unwrap or can steal one that has been opened by another person.  As each toy was unwrapped, we “oohed and aahed” and talked about our childhood memories of our favorite toys.  Once the “game” was over, they all said good-bye and left the toys….with me.

Not to worry, it was all part of the plan.  I then took the unwrapped toys to a local non-profit that serves homeless families.  They were overjoyed and said they prefer the toys be unwrapped so that they can see them and determine which child should get what. And so, the luncheon was a success; everyone had fun, got to unwrap something and somewhere in our city a little child will be blessed with a new toy on Christmas morning.

Put a little thought into your gift exchanges this year, and let me know what you decide to do. I’d love to hear your gift ideas!

Maybe it’s the busy-ness of the holiday season…

Maybe it’s because I am taking a class…

Maybe it’s because I had a busy (and awesome!) November…

Maybe it’s the perfectionist in me…

Whatever the reason, I know what I need to do. I need to take my own advice – I’m pushing “reset”!

READ MORE

I don’t shop for gifts during certain times of the year – I shop all year!  Now, don’t freak out – I am not hoarding gifts. I just have a stash of gifts… in a gift closet.  Now, now – it’s not a whole closet, just a shelf in the hall coat closet with 3 fabric boxes.  When I make or buy something for others,  it goes in the gift closet until it’s time to give a gift.  As far as shopping for gifts goes, I purchase items if:

1. It reminds me of someone

2. I think someone needs the item

3. It’s on sale

4. It’s a really good price (though not on sale)

I come home from shopping, add it to my inventory list and into the box, on the hall closet shelf, it goes!

Many clients have gifts they’ve purchased tucked in multiple places throughout their home.  When we find them during an organizing session, they will say things like:

“Oh, I was looking for that… last month when my sister was here.”

“I knew I bought a watch for Bob but couldn’t find it when his birthday came around – guess I’ll save it for Christmas now.”

“I totally forgot I had purchased these. I went out an bought another pair for my mother last week!”

I’ve taken some photos of my gift inventory to show you how to keep track of the gifts you have purchased so you can shop your own gift collection before running to the store. READ MORE

Since I moved over a year ago, I find myself traveling a lot more.  My best friend always admires how I pack so little and said I should write a blog post about that.  Good idea – so here goes!

My motto when traveling is definitely “less is more”.  I am a minimalist when I travel.  I want to spend more time enjoying my trips; therefore, I make sure it takes less time to pack.

Natalie’s 7 Travel Packing Tips

1. Choose one main color scheme for your wardrobe. Black or brown are usually my main color. It’s easy to mix and match other patterns to go with these colors. READ MORE

This blog post may not help the economy but it will help reduce clutter!

We buy and receive gifts for many occasions – birthdays, Christmas, weddings, baby showers, and even sometimes “just because”.  The gifts may be given with love, be very thoughtful or just the perfect item.  Don’t get me wrong; I love to give and receive gifts… certain gifts.  Think about the last gift you gave.

• What was it?
•  Did the person need it?
• Was it something that could be used up?
•  Or was it something you thought they collected?
• Something that sits on a shelf or was the gift a bunch of little “cutesy” things?

There are lots of useless gifts given.  READ MORE

Why endure another stressful holiday season? You’ve got so much to do already, and thinking about the fast-approaching holidays already has you coming unglued.

Keep it all together this holiday season with The Busy Mom’s Christmas Organizer, a handy spiral-bound organizing tool. This soft-cover, portable 6″x9″ book is filled with convenient and easy-to-use pages to help you keep track of your holiday budget, Christmas Cards, shopping lists, gift ideas and purchases, pot luck and party plans and more. As an added feature, we have included practical and useful holiday organizing tips submitted by professional organizers from around the country.

What’s Included:
The Busy Mom’s Christmas Organizer includes…
Planning calendars for October, November and December 2005 and 2006
A Holiday Budget spreadsheet to help you set and manage your budget
Decorating and Craft lists to note ideas and shopping needs
Task Lists for scheduling your holidays, gifts and parties
Shopping Lists to customize for the items you need most
Gift logs to brainstorm about gift ideas and log the purchases you made for up to 38 people, plus space to note your own “wish list”
Gift Bank log to help you inventory those gifts you’ve purchased throughout the year
Charitable Donation log to help you track gift baskets, mitten trees, cash donations, etc.
Christmas Card lists to help you store or update your mailing list
Pot Luck Planner to keep you organized for your upcoming commitments
Party Planning pages for 4 parties
Thank You Notes list so you can track gifts received and notes sent
A Memory Page to help you document memorable moments from the holidays
A Holiday Wrap-Up pages to help you reflect on the hits and misses of your holiday season and to help plan you for next year.
Vinyl pockets in the front and back covers to hold receipts, recipes, stamps, labels, catalog clippings, etc.
DOZENS of practical and useful holiday organizing tips from Professional Organizers from around the country.

1. Create a budget
Consider not only a budget for gifts, but also for the entertaining that you’ll do.
2. Make your travel plans early
Talk to your family about your holiday travel plans early, decide on the dates & start booking your reservations.
3. Update your address list now
Go through your address book and update any recently changed addresses.
Call those for whom you need an address.
4. Consider limiting your entertaining
We all can’t be Martha Stewart, so cutting back on the number of times you entertain this season will help reduce your anxiety!
5. Create a gift list
Write down everyone that you buy for – making note of sizes, hobbies, and special requests. Log what you actually buy for each person. Having this gift list goes a long way in helping to stick to your budget.
6. Shop Online
This gets you out of the crowds and congested parking lots. It can also save you from standing in line at the post office if you have gifts to ship – have them sent direct!
7. Gather up all those recipes
Everyone has favorite recipes they use each holiday, as well as a few they have wanted to try out. Begin gathering those recipes now. Put them together in a folder for easy access.
8. Start working on the holiday cards in early November
Begin addressing the envelopes and signing the cards early. Sign 5 cards each night while watching TV and this arduous chore will come together in no time!
9. Set aside a day for pre-holiday cleaning
Before the holidays, do one big housecleaning and then you are ready to entertain with just minor clean ups through the holidays.
10. Make a few meals in advance
Make and freeze a few casseroles. These are great after a long day of shopping or for unexpected guests – it’s a no-brainer!
11. Buy some timers
Invest in a few timers for your Christmas lights. It saves you from remembering to turn them on and off and saves energy. Use them on the Christmas tree as well as the outdoor lights.
12. Create a gift wrapping station
Designate an area and set up a table as your gift wrapping area. Store all of your gift wrap, bows, and ribbon underneath the table for easy access. Don’t forget the scissors and tape!